[Great Verses] Prayer of the LordНамуна

And forgive us our debts

And forgive us our debts.

The Lord’s Prayer begins with three God-centered petitions, concerning God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will. Following this are three personal petitions concerning provision for the present, pardon for the past, and protection for the future. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to bring our sins to God and ask for forgiveness. 

If you want forgiveness from God, then you must extend forgiveness to others. Matthew 6:14–15, just after the Lord’s Prayer, underscores this command: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Does Jesus mean we earn grace by giving grace? Not at all. Grace is, by definition, unearned and undeserved. A gift. Furthermore, the Bible is emphatic that Christ paid for all our sins and that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). We could call this “legal” forgiveness. It concerns our right to stand before God.

But there is also a “family” forgiveness or a “relational” forgiveness, and we find that in the Lord’s Prayer. If I speak to my wife, Gayle, with a harsh tone, she doesn’t sever the relationship. We don’t have to get remarried when I apologize. However, there is a barrier between us, and I need to apologize to her to restore the relationship.

This is what Jesus addresses in the Lord’s Prayer, and it is crucial. If we want to be close to our God and have no barriers between us, if we hope to enjoy his love, peace, and tenderness, if we want him to hear our prayers, then we must forgive people who hurt us. Forgive just as God forgives you.